Paint and enamel touch-up tool

ABSTRACT

A paint and enamel touch-up tool assembly comprising a pair of replaceable cartridge inserts containing desired coating compositions enclosed in a pair of cylindrical housings attached to the opposite ends of a nipple. Tool implements are carried by the other ends of the housings for preparing and treating the surface to be reconditioned. End covers are mounted on the housings about the tool implements and are provided with elements for treating the reconditioned surface.

United States Patent Brockman 1 Sept. 5, 1972 [$4] PAINT AND ENAMELTOUCH-UP 1,969,874 8/1934 Butterfield ..5l/205 R TOOL 1,218,741 3/1917Boughton ..51/181 [72] Inventor: Edwin Brocknnn, 31 Joseph Drive,

m N Y 14150 Pnmary Exam ner-Donald G. Kelly Attorney-Chnstel 8: Bean[22] Filed: May 12, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 142,624 [57] ABSTRACT A paintand enamel touch-up tool assembly compris- [52] US. Cl. ..5l/l8l, 51/205R, 222/215, ing a pair of replaceable cartridge inserts containing 41/195 desired coating compositions enclosed in a pair of [51] [IL C]...B24d 15/02 cylindfieal housings attached to the ends of a [58] Fieldof 1/181, 205 R, 392; 101/195', nipph implemcms are carried by the otherends 222/25 of the housings for preparing and treating the surface to bereconditioned. End covers are mounted on the [561 W cm housings aboutthe tool implements and are provided UNITED STATES PATENTS with elementsfor treating the reconditioned surface.

Steiger ..40l/ 195 X PATENTEDSEP 5 I972 SHEEI 2 BF 2 Fae. 5.

INVENTOQ EDWW BROCKMAN ATTORNEYS PAINT AND ENAMEL TOUCH-UP TOOLBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tool assemblyand, more particularly, to a paint and enamel touch-up tool assembly forreconditioning a damaged area on a coated surface.

It is often desirable to touch-up damaged or exposed areas on a coatedsurface such as might be found on automobiles, household appliances,furniture and the like. While this often can be accomplished by theordinary layman, he is discouraged by the lack of appropriate tools andequipment and usually engages the expensive services of a skilledtechnician.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The paint and enamel touch-up tool assembly ofthe present invention, as hereinafter described, provides a solution tothe above problem by providing a simple and inexpensive tool assemblyfor touching-up painted or otherwise coated surfaces and which includesthe necessary coating compositions together with the necessary toolsrequired for the job in a convenient compact unitary device.

Generally speaking, the touch-up tool assembly comprises a pair ofhousings connected to the opposite ends of a nipple for enclosing a pairof paint cartridges, each of which is provided with a paint applicator.A pair of accessory tools are attached to the other ends of saidhousings and are enclosed within end covers mounted about the endportions of the housings. Portions of these end covers may be coveredwith fibrous or abrasive material for treating the surface to bereconditioned and for polishing or buffing the surface after the coatingoperation.

BRIEF DESCRlPTlON OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front elevational view ofone form of a touch-up tool assembly constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tool assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the left end of the tool assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the right end of the tool assembly of FIG.1; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of a paintor enamel cartridge that may be incorporated in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detailto the drawings, there is shown one form of a touch-up tool assembly,generally designated and constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, comprising a retainer member 12 in the form of a pipe nipplehaving a tubular body provided with a smooth internal bore 14 extendinglongitudinally therethrough. The member 12 is provided with an annularformation 16 and a pair of threaded portions 18 projecting axially fromopposite sides of the annular formation 16 and connected thereto bycylindrical necked portions 20. The annular formation 16 is suitablyknurled about its outer periphery to facilitate gripping thereof forease of handling.

A pair of generally cylindrical housings 22 are internally threaded attheir one ends for attachment to the portions 18 of member 12, the otherends of housings 22 having reduced diameter end portions 24 definingannular shoulders 26. A threaded axial extension 28 projects outwardlyfrom each portion 24 for detachably securing accessory tool implementsthereto, as will presently appear. Each of the housings 22 is providedwith an internal bore 30 terminating in a reduced diameter portion 32within extension 28, the transition between bore 30 and reduced diameterportion 32 defining a conical shoulder 34. The outer peripheral surfacesof the housings 22 are fluted as at 36 to facilitate the grippingthereof in handling and when threadably attaching and detaching the sameto and from member 12.

The housings 22 serve as containers for replaceable cartridge inserts 38adapted to contain paint, enamel or any other suitable coatingcomposition. For example, one of the cartridge inserts may contain aprimer coating composition and the other may contain a finished enamelcomposition of desired color adapted to be applied over the primercoating on the desired surface. Each of the inserts 38 comprises acylindrical casing 40 having a hollow tubular projection 42 extendingaxially outwardly from one end of the insert 38 for receiving anapplicator 44 in the form of an elongated fibrous wick extendinglongitudinally within the casing 40 and extending outwardly throughprojection 42. As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 40 fits loosely within thehousing 22 while projection 42 fits snugly within the extension 28 inthe assembled relation. The outer end of the applicator 44 terminates ina tip having an inclined surface 46 for ease of application of thecontainer contents. While the tip of the applicator 44 is provided withan inclined surface in the illustrative embodiment, it should beunderstood that variously configurated tips are contemplated within thepurview of this invention. Moreover, these tips can be formed separatelyfrom wick 44 and selectively inserted within the projection 42, asdesired. The other end of each cartridge insert 38 is provided with aprojection 50 received in the bore 14 of member 12 in the assembledrelation.

A pair of tool implements 52 and 54 are detachably mounted on thethreaded extensions 28 of housings 22. Implement 52 comprises acylindrical body 56 of substantially the same outside diameter as theend portion 24 of housing 22 and terminates in a frusto-conical portion58 having an abrasive tool bit 60 extending axially outwardly fromportion 58 for scraping rust and/or other undesirable scale from thesurface to be painted or coated. The other end of body 56 is providedwith a threaded bore 62 for attachment to the housing extension 28. Whentightened on the threaded extension 28, the body 56 abuts against theface of the end portion 24 of housing 22, as shown in FIG. 2.

The tool implement 54 comprises a cylindrical body 64 of substantiallythe same outside diameter as the end portion 24 of housing 22 andterminates in a conical portion 66 constituting a tool bit. One half ofthe peripheral surface of conical portion 66 may be provided with fineabrasive grit adhesively secured thereto as shown at 68 in FIG. 3 andthe other half may be provided with a coarser abrasive grain such asshown at 70 to comprise a dual abrasive sanding cone for honing orotherwise preparing the surface to be painted or coated. While theconical portion 66 is formed of metal having abrasive grain adhesivelysecured thereto in the illustrative embodiment, it should be understoodthat the conical portion 66 may be molded of a plastic or fibrousmaterial or a resinous composition, as desired, having abrasiveparticles bonded thereto. The other end of body 64 is provided with athreaded bore 72 for attachment to the housing extension 28 as shown inFIG. 2.

A pair of end covers 76 and I8 are provided for enclosing the toolimplements 52 and 54 in the assembled relation of tool assembly 10 asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The cover 76 comprises a relatively thincylindrical side wall 80 and a slightly curved end wall 82. The closedend portion of cover 76 is covered with a relatively soft fibrous flock84 impregnated with a suitable cleaning solution for wiping andpreparing the surface to be painted. in a similar construction, the endcover 78 comprises a thin cylindrical side wall 86 and an end wall 88. Afibrous flock 90 may be applied to the closed end portion of cover 78for polishing the finished surface after the touch-up operation. Whilethe end covers 76 and 78 preferably are formed of metal, they may becomposed of a suitable plastic material, and are adapted to fit snuglyabout the peripheral surfaces of tools 52 and 54 and the end portions 24of housings 22 with a friction fit abutting against shoulders 26.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of aplurality of implements, including dispensible cartridge insertscontaining coating compositions and applicators, assembled in arelatively small and convenient compact kit form for use in touching upa coated surface. As shown in FIG. 2, the housings 22 are threadablysecured to the member 12 for captively retaining the cartridge inserts38 therein. The tool elements 52 and 54 are provided with threaded boresfor releasable engagement with the housing extensions 28 and forenclosing the tips of the applicators 44, thus precluding exposure ofthe latter to dirt or other contaminants when not in use. Likewise, thecovers 76 and 78 shield the tool bits against damage when not in use andprotect the user's hands and fingers.

When it is desired to use either the tool bit 60 or the sanding toolportion 66, the associated cover is readily removed by simply exertingan outward pull on such cover. The remainder of the tool assemblyremains intact and serves as a streamlined handle for the user with theother tool implements effectively shrouded. When it is desired to useeither applicator, the associated tool element is detached exposing thetip of such applicator. The tool assembly may be gripped in the mannerof a pencil or crayon for ease in applying the coating composition. Theflocked ends of covers 76 and 78 are used as required withoutdisassembly of the parts.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second form of cartridge insert 38' that may beused in lieu of the cartridge insert 38 described above. The insert 38'comprises a container body 92 having a closed end 94 and a dischargeoutlet end in the form of a spout 96. The body 92 defines a reservoirfor the paint, enamel or other coating composition and is slightlytapered toward the spout 96. The body 92 is formed of a resilientlyyieldable material, preferably plastic, and is provided with a pluralityof peripheral grooves 98 facilitating collapse of the body to eject thecartridge contents outwardly through spout 96.

An elongated, tapered wick 100, formed of a suitable fibrous material,is mounted centrally within container body 92. The wick 100 is enclosedin a thin, permeable sheating 102 allowing the container contents toreadily flow therethrough. The wick 100 is provided with a centrallongitudinal passage 104 for increasing the rate of flow through wick100. A plurality of peripheral grooves 106 also are provided in the wick100 for facilitating collapse thereof to aid in ejecting the containercontents outwardly through spout 96. An applicator 108 is rigidlysecured to the outer end of wick 100 within spout 96 and has a taperededge 100 which aids in applying the container contents to the surface tobe coated. Various types of differently configurated applicators,including brushes, can be employed in place of applicator 108, ifdesired.

In use, the tapered edge 110 is placed against the surface to be coatedand application of pressure to the closed end 94 of container body 92compresses the body 92 axially forcing the coating composition outwardlythrough passage 104 to applicator 108. The grooves 98 and 106 in body 92and wick 100 not only facilitate the collapse of the latter but alsoserve to agitate the container contents to maintain the same of uniformconsistency. The cartridge inserts 38' can be enclosed in housings 22 inthe same manner as inserts 38, previously described.

As a result of the present invention, a touch-up tool assembly isprovided for use in reconditioning or touching-up an exposed or damagedarea on a coated surface. The assembly includes replaceable cartridgesfor containing the desired coating compositions, applicators and otheraccessory tools used in connection with the touch-up operation, allcontained within a relatively small compact kit assembly for conveniencein handling and storage.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention having been hereindescribed and illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood thatmodifications thereof can be made without departing from the spirit andscope of this invention.

lclaim:

l. A tool assembly comprising: a pair of coaxially aligned, spaced-aparthousings connected at their proximate ends to an intermediate supportmember, each of said housings having an extension projecting axiallyoutwardly from the outer end thereof, a replaceable cartridge containinga coating composition mounted in each of said housings, a tool elementdetachably secured to each of said housing extensions, and end coversencasing said tool elements and the outer portions of said housings toform a compact tool assembly for reconditioning or touch-up damagedcoated surfaces.

2. A tool assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said cartridgesis provided with a projection extending through the associated housingextension, and an applicator mounted in said projection and extendingoutwardly therefrom for applying said coating com position to thedesired surface, said tool elements covering said applicators in theassembled relation.

3. A tool assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of said end coversis provided with means for treating the area to be coated and the otherof said end covers is provided with means for polishing such area afterbeing coated.

4. A tool assembly according to claim 1 wherein on of said tool elementscomprises a cylindrical body mounted on said housing extension and aconical portion formed integral with said body and having abrasive meansthereon for preparing the surface to be coated.

5. A tool assembly according to claim 1 wherein said cartridge comprisesan elongated, tapered tubular body terminating in a discharge outlet, anelongated wick

1. A tool assembly comprising: a pair of coaxially aligned, spaced-aparthousings connected at their proximate ends to an intermediate supportmember, each of said housings having an extension projecting axiallyoutwardly from the outer end thereof, a replaceable cartridge containinga coating composition mounted in each of said housings, a tool elementdetachably secured to each of said housing extensions, and end coversencasing said tool elements and the outer portions of said housings toform a compact tool assembly for reconditioning or touch-up damagedcoated surfaces.
 2. A tool assembly according to claim 1 wherein each ofsaid cartridges is provided with a projection extending through theassociated housing extension, and an applicator mounted in saidprojection and extending outwardly therefrom for applying said coatingcomposition to the desired surface, said tool elements covering saidapplicators in the assembled relation.
 3. A tool assembly according toclaim 1 wherein one of said end covers is provided with means fortreating the area to be coated and the other of said end covers isprovided with means for polishing such area after being coated.
 4. Atool assembly according to claim 1 wherein on of said tool elementscomprises a cylindrical body mounted on said housing extension and aconical portion formed integral with said body and having abrasive meansthereon for preparing the surface to be coated.
 5. A tool assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein said cartridge comprises an elongated,tapered tubular body terminating in a discharge outlet, an elongatedwick mounted centrally within said body and an applicator connected tothe outer end of said wick and extending outwardly through saiddischarge outlet.
 6. A tool assembly according to claim 5 wherein saidtubular body is formed of a resiliently compressible material.
 7. A toolassembly according to claim 6 wherein said tapered body and said wickare provided with peripheral grooves for facilitating the collapsethereof upon axial compression of said body to dispense said coatingcomposition.